Golden State Warriors latest big acquisition, Andre Igoubdala, takes questions from the media at a press conference at Warriors headquarters On Thursday, July 11, 2013 in Oakland, Calif. Igoubdala was a brilliant addition to a Warriors team that was defeated in the Western Conference Finals by The San Antonio Spurs in this years NBA playoffs.

Photo: Rohan Smith, The Chronicle

Golden State Warriors latest big acquisition, Andre Igoubdala,...

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Andre Iguodala talked around any questions of whether he would need a starting role during Thursday's media event.

Photo: Rohan Smith, The Chronicle

Andre Iguodala talked around any questions of whether he would need...

Andre Iguodala said he wants to be a Swiss Army knife for the Warriors' lineup next season - a single entity that can fill the team's variety of needs in one, compact frame.

After the details of Iguodala's sign-and-trade deal became clear at a news conference Thursday, it seems he'll be a utility guy for the Warriors both on and off the court.

The 6-foot-6, 207-pound swingman figures to provide the team crucial leadership, playmaking, ballhandling and defense, and the three-team trade that landed the 29-year-old has already given the franchise much-needed financial flexibility.

"We feel like he's the missing piece of the puzzle to this team," general manager Bob Myers said. "You don't find players, and you actually don't find many people, like this, so we're absolutely thrilled."

Iguodala wanted to be a Warrior. He reached out to Mark Jackson when the 76ers had coaching openings in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and he has researched the "life-after-basketball" opportunities that exist in Silicon Valley.

To get here, he turned down a four-year, $52 million deal that Sacramento offered July 2 and then pulled, a five-year, $60 million front-loaded deal that Denver had on the table throughout the process, and a lucrative deal with Dallas that Iguodala almost signed an hour before the Warriors were able to create the necessary cap space to offer him four years and $48 million.

"It was kind of hectic," Iguodala said. "Everyone is supposed to wine and dine you, and all of this money is supposed to be thrown at you, so you'd think it would be easy. But perseverance was kind of the key word for this whole process."

Iguodala met with the Warriors on July 1 - the first day of free agency - at his agent's office in Southern California. The All-Star, a two-time gold-medal winner and all-defensive team member, sold himself to the Warriors instead of vice versa.

The Warriors were capped out, having spent $69 million on 10 players against the $58.7 million salary cap and $71.7 million luxury tax threshold. They weren't getting any movement in trade talks that needed to include dumping the combined $20 million in 2013-14 salaries of Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins.

Myers told Iguodala's agent, Rob Pelinka, "Don't tease me with a player like Andre Iguodala." Myers said he repeatedly walked into his house after 15- or 16-hour days and told his wife that a deal wasn't going to happen.

"There were 25 moments of panic," said Myers, who was still unshaved and admittedly exhausted. "... This thing was on life support 15 times.

"It was a very unlikely scenario that actually played out for us."

Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit and Utah all had the cap space to take on the Warriors' unwanted salaries, so the Warriors kept calling, kept tweaking the offers.

Finally, an hour before Iguodala was to sign with the Mavericks, the Warriors made two concessions in the deal with Utah and were able to send Jefferson, Biedrins and Brandon Rush - along with two first-round picks and two seconds.

A day later, Denver wanted to be part of the deal, and the Warriors gave up a third second-round pick to the Nuggets in order to make it a sign-and-trade deal that afforded them use of the full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions and granted traded-player exceptions for $11 million and $4 million.

The Warriors used the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to sign three free agents - forward Marreese Speights, center Jermaine O'Neal and guard Toney Douglas. Myers said the team hopes to use the traded-player exceptions to recoup a draft pick and add a player closer to the trade deadline.

That's a far cry from what the Warriors might have been able to do if the Iguodala deal hadn't worked. They would have been forced to replace Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry with players on minimum contracts, or paid between $10 million and $15 million in luxury tax for bringing the duo back while adding no one else.

"It was probably the most stress I've had on the job," Myers said. "... I was banging my head against a door."

The Iguodala acquisition provided a salve for many wounds. The Warriors are ecstatic to have been able to add a player of his caliber while maintaining their core, which the team is now billing as a cast of "six starters."

He's used to being the man. He put up 18 points, eight rebounds, 5.3 assists and two steals per game in the Nuggets' first-round playoff loss to the Warriors last season.

But Myers said Iguodala never asked during initial meetings about a starting role and that the decision is up to Jackson, who is in Las Vegas with the summer league team.

"We have high-IQ guys who could be 'the man' on any team in the league," said Iguodala, who was joined by his impeccably dressed son, girlfriend and cousin at the news conference. "It's good to have the depth.

"We're going to be pushing and driving each other in training camp and during practice. We're going to compete with each during games to see who gets the most steals and other little nuances in the game. It's going to make us all better players, and we don't have any major egos, which makes our depth all the more scary."

Iguodala's career averages

15.1

Points

5.8

Rebounds

4.9

Assists

1.7

Steals

Career stats

Andre Iguodala, a career 46 percent shooter from the floor and 33 percent from behind the three-point line, agreed to a four-year deal with the Warriors on Friday. He played his first eight years with Philadelphia and spent last year in Denver.